A few days later.
Inside Luo Chen's cave abode, Tao Yisheng came to visit in person!
This time, it was no longer as simple as sending a voice transmission talisman; he waited dutifully for a long time.
At last, he finally saw Luo Chen.
"My apologies for keeping you waiting, Daoist Brother."
A dense, rich pill aura lingered around him, and his eyes shone with vibrant clarity.
Flipping back the hem of his Red Cloud Daoist Robe, Luo Chen sat down boldly across from Tao Yisheng.
The young man could not help but ask, "What have you been busy with lately, Brother? It's been difficult to even catch a glimpse of you!"
Luo Chen smiled faintly and replied offhandedly, "I made some breakthroughs in the Dao of alchemy and have been attempting to reach higher grades with Tier 1 and Tier 2 pills."
He did not specify which pills.
Yet that thick pill aura was unmistakable.
One had to have concocted superior-grade pills at the very least to accumulate an aura like this.
Tao Yisheng's eyes lit up, his anticipation surging.
He could hardly wait as he spoke up, "Didn't you want to learn about my Azure Pill Valley's high-grade pills earlier, Daoist Brother?"
*Finally willing to speak?*
The corner of Luo Chen's mouth curved upward, and he played along, asking, "You have word?"
"It isn't that I only just found out, but rather that things weren't certain before, so I didn't dare boast about it."
Tao Yisheng shook his head and said earnestly, "In our Azure Pill Valley, every inner sect disciple and true disciple has a strict annual quota for the high-grade pills they can receive."
"When you wanted to purchase some before, even if we were willing, we simply couldn't provide them."
"But now, an opportunity has presented itself!"
Luo Chen's spirits lifted. "I'm all ears!"
"Have you heard of our Azure Pill Valley's Golden Core Dao Seed contest, Brother?"
"I know a little."
"To be completely frank, aside from Golden Core Masters, only our sect's Dao Seeds can obtain large quantities of high-grade pills!"
Listening to Tao Yisheng, Luo Chen wore an expression of surprise on his face.
In his heart, however, it was more of an *as expected*.
All the intelligence gathered by the Luotian Association over these years had not been in vain.
Through those reports, he had long deduced the situation the Tao siblings faced.
Only by seizing the position of Dao Seed would the vast resources of the entire sect tilt in her favor.
The most straightforward aspect of that tilt was cultivation resources.
Only with sufficient cultivation resources could an Azure Pill Dao Seed cultivate swiftly while also nurturing an ample cohort of subordinates.
In this manner, once the Dao Seed ascended to the Golden Core realm, they would immediately possess a large contingent of formidable followers who obeyed every command.
Their cultivation realm would not lag behind.
Their network of connections would not be lacking.
It was immensely beneficial for governing the sect as well.
In truth, this model was hardly rare among the great sects.
Rather than letting disciples fend for themselves, it was far better to select one or two peerless talents and focus all resources on them.
Only then could a sect ensure its heritage would never be abruptly severed by a generational gap.
This was especially true for Azure Pill Valley!
They had carried this practice to the absolute peak.
Every hundred years, they selected a Dao Seed.
This meant that every century, Azure Pill Valley had a very high probability of reliably producing a Golden Core Master.
In doing so, they ensured the sect's lineage would never fail!
Other sects did the same, but none were as wealthy as Azure Pill Valley, so their nurturing of Dao Seeds was often somewhat lacking by comparison.
As a result, over several centuries, a landscape emerged where the number of Golden Core cultivators in Azure Pill Valley far surpassed that of the other sects.
Tao Yisheng took a deep breath. "At present, my elder sister, Tao Wan, is vying for the Dao Seed seat. If she succeeds, she will receive the sect's full backing and cultivation. High-grade pills will naturally be among those resources."
"When that time comes, what you require will be nothing more than a drop in the ocean."
Luo Chen put on a look of sudden comprehension.
He then offered his congratulations, "Then I wish Daoist Tao Wan swift success in claiming the Dao Seed position!"
He made it sound simple.
Yet Tao Yisheng looked somewhat embarrassed. "I'm afraid that at the moment, things are still rather difficult."
"Oh?"
Luo Chen raised an eyebrow. "If there are difficulties, why not explain them in detail? If there is any way I can be of assistance, please speak freely!"
This time, Tao Yisheng stopped concealing things.
Instead, he laid out everything he knew in full detail.
For instance, how exactly Azure Pill Valley's contest for the Dao Seed was fought.
It was divided into three rounds!
The first round was securing a seat among the Nine Great True Disciples.
Only by attaining the status of a great true disciple did one gain the chance to advance to the next round of competition.
The next round was an alchemy competition.
Finally, the results of the first two rounds would determine the final ranking among the Nine Great True Disciples.
Only then would they reach the third round.
The Nine Great True Disciples would personally take the stage, one by one, to fight for that single, ultimate Dao Seed quota.
In the first two rounds, the true disciples participating in the Dao Seed contest had to avoid fighting as much as possible.
This was to avoid expending their foundations and exposing their trump cards.
They needed to reserve as much energy as possible for the third round.
Furthermore, the rankings determined by the first two rounds dictated the order of combat.
The lower one's rank, the greater the disadvantage.
They would have to fight their way up one opponent at a time.
Moreover, the schedule was exceptionally tight, leaving almost no time for rest.
Consequently, the ranking among the Nine Great True Disciples was of vital importance.
If one were ranked ninth, it was practically impossible to win the Dao Seed seat.
That would mean facing eight opponents of the same realm in rapid succession!
For the first round, Tao Wan was already well prepared; she had gathered a group of experts beneath her banner, from both inside and outside the sect.
For the second round, she had previously prepared three Tier 2 alchemists.
Yet the one she valued most, Huanghezi, had defected to the rival camp at the critical moment, leaving her in an extremely awkward predicament.
It was precisely because of this that she had traveled thousands of miles to invite Luo Chen in person.
Having heard this detailed explanation, Luo Chen finally understood the role he was meant to play.
"The second round?"
"Precisely! With your alchemy attainments, Brother, I believe no one among Tier 2 alchemists can surpass you!" Tao Yisheng looked at Luo Chen with reverence and fervor. "If you take the field on my sister's behalf, you will surely secure a top ranking for her."
"You certainly have high confidence in me!" Luo Chen said with a chuckle.
"You are worthy of it!" Tao Yisheng insisted firmly.
Luo Chen pursed his lips. "In that case, I could indeed help. But before that, I need to meet your sister first."
"My sister is in Tianlan Immortal City right now. We can meet tomorrow."
"Very well, tomorrow it is!"
At this stage, there was no longer any need for coy hesitations or pretense.
The matter had been laid bare.
Next came the bargaining.
Not everyone was Wang Yuan, whom Luo Chen would refine pills for free of charge.
If Tao Wan was so eager for the Dao Seed position, she would have to produce something of real value. After all, a master-tier Tier 2 alchemist was not someone to be engaged easily!
***
"Is it settled?"
"Yes. Tomorrow, he will come to see us."
Hearing her brother's reply, Tao Wan, who had just returned from Tantai Jin's cave abode, nodded slightly.
Tao Yisheng remarked with feeling, "Having not seen him for a few months, it seems Luo Chen's attainments in the Dao of alchemy have progressed even further."
Looking at his sister, Tao Yisheng could not resist singing Luo Chen's praises once more.
"Sister, though Luo Chen's alchemy methods are somewhat unorthodox and seemingly lack formal lineage,
his foundation is incomparably solid, and he wields all manner of alchemical arts with effortless ease.
"A figure like him will definitely help you secure a great ranking!"
Tao Wan offered a mild hum of acknowledgment, not following up on his words.
She had heard similar praise many times already.
She understood her brother's mindset.
Unable to help directly, he was simply eager to recommend his friend.
In doing so, he felt he had contributed significantly to the cause.
Had it been before, she naturally would have dismissed it.
Yet after meeting Tantai Jin, whose every word subtly urged her to treat Luo Chen with respect, she realized the man indeed possessed extraordinary abilities.
*Putting on airs for all these days... I'd really like to see just how big an appetite you have.*
Tao Wan's eyes narrowed slightly as memories of her previous two encounters with Luo Chen surfaced in her mind.
***
Early the next morning.
Inside Cave Abode Yi-5.
All attendants had been dismissed, leaving only a man and a woman within.
Looking at the tranquil man before her, Tao Wan felt a flicker of surprise.
He was different from the pale, cautious figure she had seen during their first meeting,
and distinct from the spirited man she had glimpsed at Ice Billow Palace.
At this moment, Luo Chen seemed calm and breezy on the surface, yet an unshakable composure emanated from his entire being.
That composure stemmed from confidence, born of true strength!
Such a bearing felt out of place on a rogue cultivator.
Most rogue cultivators rushed about in toil and hardship just for basic resources, their entire lives spent scrambling and scheming, worn down by the elements.
Only the chosen prodigies of great sects, unburdened by worries over cultivation resources, possessed this kind of refined poise and elegance.
Observing him standing there, deep as an abyss and steady as a mountain, bearing the aura of an alchemy grandmaster,
Tao Wan nodded to herself. His presence was certainly impressive; now she only had to see what price he would demand.
Dispensing with hypocritical pleasantries, she cut straight to the chase.
"I would like to ask you to take the field on my behalf, Daoist Brother, and help me claim the position of Golden Core Dao Seed."
"As for remuneration, what requirements do you have?"
Luo Chen's eyes brightened.
He praised with a smile, "True Disciple Tao is straightforward and concise, fully worthy of being a descendant of Master Nanshan—you carry much of his style."
Master Nanshan was the Tao clan's late Golden Core ancestor; this intelligence had all been gathered by the Luotian Association.
After offering this small compliment,
Luo Chen opened his mouth to make an exorbitant demand.
"Since that's the case, I won't be pretentious. I have three conditions, and I hope you can satisfy them, Daoist Sister."
*Three?*
Tao Wan frowned slightly. "Speak."
"First, I want superior-grade Ascending Dragon Pills—thirty bottles every year!" Luo Chen declared without the slightest hesitation.
Tao Wan had anticipated this in her heart, but she still replied, "High-grade pills almost never flow outside the major sects."
Luo Chen shook his head. "That is only 'almost.' In truth, you regularly release a portion to the outside. I am not asking for them for free either; whatever the market price is, that is what I will pay in spirit stones!"
The market price of superior-grade Ascending Dragon Pills was far from low.
A single bottle could sell for two thousand spirit stones!
Thirty bottles would amount to sixty thousand spirit stones a year.
That surpassed the cost of leasing a superior-grade cave abode.
Considering Luo Chen already leased a superior-grade cave abode on Tianlan Peak, which cost an additional forty-eight thousand spirit stones annually,
the earning capacity of the Luotian Association under his command was truly terrifying!
No wonder Tantai Jin and even the Unfeeling Lineage held the Luotian Association in such high regard!
Tao Wan stared deeply at Luo Chen.
"I can consider this condition, but it can only be realized once I secure the Dao Seed position."
"If I fail..."
Luo Chen understood.
If she failed, Tao Wan certainly would not be able to produce that many superior-grade Ascending Dragon Pills.
She was not a formidable alchemist herself, after all.
"The second condition: I want pill formulas—Tier 2 cultivation pill formulas!"
This was a condition he had refrained from raising with Tantai Jin, yet this time Luo Chen put it forward without hesitation.
And Tao Wan's answer was precisely as he had anticipated.
"Impossible!"
"Our sect has long placed a strict ban on leaking cultivation pill formulas."
Luo Chen replied without missing a beat, "I don't want Azure Pill Valley's formulas. I want your Tao clan's!"
"Hm?"
"Your clan's ancestor, Master Nanshan, was a renowned Tier 3 alchemist. He surely collected or developed quite a few cultivation pill formulas. Those kinds of formulas are beyond Azure Pill Valley's jurisdiction. That is what I want!"
Tao Wan fell into a dilemma.
She realized that Luo Chen had come fully prepared.
Virtually every single condition seemed to fall right within the bounds of her capability.
Indeed!
Luo Chen was prepared, and all the more confident.
It was not merely because of the intelligence gathered by the Luotian Association, but also because Tao Yisheng had occasionally let slip details of certain pill formulas during their discussions on the Dao of alchemy.
For example, the formula for Yang Restoring Water was clearly a specialty of the Medicine King Sect,
yet Tao Yisheng knew the ratios of its medicinal ingredients, which demonstrated just how profound the Tao clan's accumulation was.
Faced with this demand, Tao Wan found it difficult to decide.
"Tell me your third condition first!"
Luo Chen felt a faint surge of joy. Tao Wan's reaction indicated that this second condition was indeed viable.
Suppressing his inward excitement,
Luo Chen steadily voiced his third condition.
"A Core Formation secret art!"
"That is impossible!" Tao Wan refused flatly, adding, "Didn't Tantai already give you a Core Formation secret art? How can you be so insatiable?"
Luo Chen sneered coldly. "What sort of shoddy thing that secret art is, you surely know better than I do."
Tao Wan pursed her rosy lips, her brow locked tight in thought.
In the end, she still shook her head firmly.
"I cannot agree to this. Otherwise, I will not be able to sit securely in the Dao Seed seat."
Visibly to the naked eye,
Luo Chen's expression darkened.
"You lack all sincerity!"
Tao Wan parted her lips, momentarily at a complete loss for words.
Three conditions: one pending, one unanswered, and one flatly rejected.
Anyone in his position would feel she lacked sincerity.
Yet each of these conditions pushed her into an agonizing dilemma; she truly could not promise them lightly.
The negotiations suddenly ground to a standstill.
The air within the cave abode seemed to grow heavy under their shared silence.
After a long while, Tao Wan finally let out a bitter smile.
"Your latter two conditions truly put me in an awkward position, especially the last one."
"Let me tell you what compensation I can offer!"
Luo Chen watched her, quietly awaiting her proposal.
"The first remains unchanged: once I claim the Dao Seed position, we can proceed with the transactions."
"For the second, I must return to my clan to discuss it with the elders before giving you a response."
"As for the third condition, it is utterly impossible for me to provide a Core Formation secret art. Azure Pill Valley has strict rules regarding this."
"Of course, since I am requesting your assistance, I cannot make empty promises either."
Tao Wan looked at Luo Chen and stated her bottom line.
"Didn't you obtain the Dragon-Phoenix Tribulation secret art from the Unfeeling Lineage? I can provide you with a Dragon Transformation Pill and an Ice Phoenix Pellet, sparing you the trouble of running all over to search for them."
Luo Chen furrowed his brows. "You should know that if I set my mind to finding those two pills, it's merely a matter of ten thousand spirit stones or so."
Back at the Tianlan Auction, the reason those two pills had fetched a high price of over a hundred thousand spirit stones
was not because of the value of the two Tier 3 pills themselves.
What was truly precious was the Dragon-Phoenix Tribulation secret art.
Luo Chen already possessed the secret art in question, so gathering the two pills would not be difficult.
If nothing else, he had his own channels through Ice Fort.
Tao Wan nodded; she was naturally aware of that.
"To make up for it, I can give you a copy of my ancestor Master Nanshan's Core Formation reflections. What do you think?"
Hearing this condition, Luo Chen sank into contemplation.
Two Tier 3 pills that complemented the Dragon-Phoenix Tribulation secret art, plus a set of Core Formation reflections.
This offer was indeed very handsome.
If put up for sale, many would gladly pay several hundred thousand spirit stones for it.
If no one else, Chu Kui would certainly be willing to spend a fortune to purchase them.
Furthermore, since the other party was willing to make concessions, he could not push his luck too far.
At the end of the day, even though she was the one asking for help, both her strength and background far surpassed his own.
Sometimes, one had to preserve each other's dignity.
Luo Chen did not press further and grudgingly accepted this compromise.
Only at this point did Tao Wan breathe a sigh of relief.
She discovered that this man, Luo Chen, was truly difficult to deal with.
Once he grasped her lifeline, he dared to open his mouth wide and demand the world.
She wondered how Tantai Jin usually dealt with him.
"There is still one year before the Dao Seed contest begins. Do you plan to return to Azure Pill Valley with me first, or remain here in Tianlan?"
Now that the matter was settled, smiles returned to both of their faces.
Luo Chen smiled and shook his head. "I won't go for now. There are too many people over there, and the stakes are too high; it is likely in the eye of a vortex."
"Yes, your consideration makes sense." Tao Wan thought for a moment and said, "Staying here for now so they cannot gauge your background is also for the best."
Luo Chen remarked seemingly casually, "If my cultivation can advance a bit over this coming year, perhaps I will be able to provide you with even greater assistance. Surely you must still have a few medium-grade or superior-grade Ascending Dragon Pills on hand, Daoist Sister?"
The smile on the woman's face froze.
Chapter 323